Tuesday, November 28, 2006

These are the invitations (just made) for my eighteenth party-happening soon hereafter!(sorry-it's just the text, the pictures of thw Baudelaire children and Count Olaf wouldn't load)

Side One:

Count Olaf Throws A Party for the children!Count Olaf Invites youTo The Most Brilliant Spectacular Party Ever! Dear Beloved Fans,Of course you’ve heard of me. I am the most famous-most beloved actor in the whole entire world! Anyway-the point is, I’m throwing the most wonderful party ever! And you’re invited! Yes you (and you know I’ll treat you as if you were actually wanted at any party whatsoever)! And it is the perfect alternative to the drab, odious, and downright dull birthday bash on the other side of this card.You will come (or else!),Count Olaf (signature font)Count Olaf. Ps. If anyone should see the Baudelaire orphans notify me immediately.Flip Side

Back side of invitation card:

You are invited to the Sinister birthday party of . . .Dear Reader,I’m very sorry to say that the invitation you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant.It is my sad duty to tell you that the awful party will be taking place at Sookie's disturbing and downright creepy house on December Seventeenth around Twelve-Thirty. One should be warned that this is not a themed party-and anyone wearingcostumes (especially ones from A Series of Unfortunate Events) will be properly chastised. Of course-you could always put this down right away and think of a happier event to go to.If you prefer that sort of thing.With all do respect,Lemony Snicket (signature font)Lemony Snicket

Is like holding up a snowflakeA thousand viewsI see youYour eyesLike silver sleigh bellsalight; your wavesof frigid coldnesscannot breech the distanceI am reachingso far, so longbut the miles cannot be traveled; too farit is not rightAll is not soundso I must carrythis snowflakea light but treacherous loadtill it melts in my pocket;silver wateroverflowingblesses the world

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Just an itsy bitsy side-note : I HATE MAPS!!!!!There-I feel better now that I got that out. My US History teacher has assigned us three (impossible) maps to label-one of East Asia, another of Middle America, and yet another of the Transpacific Region. It is a good thing that I haven't decided to become a map maker-because I would fail. Utterly.

Friday, November 24, 2006

In honor of all the shopping that went on todaay, I've decided to make up a tag-yay! My first one!

TAG

1. What is the worst gift you've ever recieved for Christmas

The worst gift I've ever recieved was a huge tin filled with all kinds of popcorn-that was completely stale. It tasted pretty awful.

2. What is the best gift you've ever recieved for Christmas

The best gift I've ever gotten was my computer (when I was thirteen-it behaved so well back then, I'm afraid today that's just not the case)

3. What's your funniest Christmas memory

My cat climbed the Christmas tree when I was nine-in an attempt to eat the angel ornament on top (she really loved to chew on a great piece of metal-or a klondike bar) and made the whole thing tumble down right on my aunt Lola-who was a chronic grumbler4. When you hear the word "Christmas", what do you think of?

I think of the Nativity Story-of Jesus' birth and all that it means to me. I also think of my aunt Lola showered in twinkling Christmas ornaments, looking madder than I'd ever seen her before.

5. When you hear the word "Santa Claus" what do you think of?

I think of the time when I stayed up late to see if the Jolly Good Man was coming down my chimney-instead to see my mom feeding the treats I'd set out for Santa Clause to my cat. Oh, memories....

6. If someone could give you the most perfect gift (for you) what would it be?

It would be a huge mansion full of books a never-ending pot of coffee.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

This is a great book for any person fascinated with the life of Anne Boleyn but doesn't know much about the story. It has almost all the facts and is a fairly easy read, not to mention a good one!

Redeeming Love For any mature teen or adult. This is a great book. But I'll warn you-it's a tear jerker. Especially at the end.It's definitely on my top ten favorite books.

A Lineage of Grace Series (Unveiled, Unashamed, Unshaken, Unspkoen, and Unafraid)These little novellas are also tear jerkers-just like Redeeming Love. But they are written about the five women mentioned in Jesus' lineage at the beginning of Matthew. They start from Unveiled (Tamar) to Unafraid (Mary herself), and their excellent if you want to learn more about these awesome women of the Bible. Plus they have devotionals in the back. They're really great stuff.

Girl With a Pearl Earring An excellent book for anyone who's a fan of Johannes Vermeer's work. Plus-it's a very intriguing story. There is also a movie made from the story of this book that is quite good too-Collin Firth and Scarlett Johanson (that's not spelled right, I bet) star in it. The film is also very good too.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,"thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

He who thanks but with the lipsThanks but in part;The full, the true ThanksgivingComes from the heart.~J.A. Shedd

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin

For each new morning with its light,For rest and shelter of the night,For health and food, for love and friends,For everything Thy goodness sends.~Ralph Waldo Emerson

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. ~Irv Kupcinet

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. ~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

Friday, November 17, 2006

"It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."-Mitch Albom The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Well, it's official. I've deleted my website (formerly called "midnight tales") because now that I have this blog, and my other blogs, and my nanowrimo, I really have no use for it.Plus, I've discovered that the beautiful fonts I used on the main page and other pages don't come up on other people's computers.So this post is an ode to my old website.Goodbye old friend.Ah, I remember the days well when the website and I were best friends.....I remember having so many fun games of "I'm posting this picture, will you please let it come up?"Ah, but I won very few of those games....I remember the many times when my computer wanted to seperate us forever...oh how I fought to edit and work on that website.The minutes, hours, and days I spent picking fonts and colors and photographs are very numerous.Old Midnight and I, we always had the best of times together.Now, all that's left are my fond memories. I will miss Midnight-wherever he's gone, hopefully to website heaven where he belongs, but I must move on.I'll just have to take that solitary roadtrip and sprinkle his ashes all over microsoft corporation's heaquarters, just like he always wanted.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

I don't know why, but I scoured the internet looking for a Christian perspective on Mormonism and the book of Mormon.Go here to read what I found.

It's pretty interesting. I think it was really written for Mormons who are questioning their beliefs (to those I say-rock on! And please click the link), so I don't understand everything that it refers to, but it is a fairly easy read (some essays I read were nearly impossible for anyone who didn't have a PHD to read).For any Christians, or non-Christians, who've seen that nice little comercial on TV that has the two women talking about their faith and where the one woman says, "I read the book of Mormon. It's a companion to the Bible" and are wondering what the whole Mormon and companion thing is about, I really suggest that you read this.Blessings,Sookie

Ps. If you are Mormon, and reading this, please don't be offended. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. To understand why I believe that the Mormon faith is inaccurate, please click the link.

Monday, November 13, 2006

By Mitch AlbomA reviewI haven't read any other books by Mitch Albom, but after reading Five People I want to!The Five People You Meet in Heaven is about an 83 year old man(Eddie) who dies on his birthday, in an attempt to save a little girl. He has not had the easiest life around, so when he finds himself in Heaven, he thinks it will be paradise for eternity.But what he finds is much different-it is explained to him that he will meet with five people from his life, whether strangers or close friends and family, who will explain to him his existence on earth.This book made me cry-and that's a high compliment to any book I've read. There is mild cursing, but not too strong. And the story far outweighs it anyway-and you barely even notice.I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a very deep, heartrending read. It's a slim book and a fast read-I was done with it after three class periods.It's a great book, really. And Mitch Albom is a very talented author.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish. ~W.H. Auden

How many of our daydreams would darken into nightmares, were there a danger of their coming true! ~Logan Pearsall Smith, AfterthoughtsHe does not need opium. He has the gift of reverie. ~Anais Nin

To lose one's self in reverie, one must be either very happy, or very unhappy. Reverie is the child of extremes. ~Antoine Rivarol

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When ideas float in our mind without any reflection or regard of the understanding, it is that which the French call revery, our language has scarce a name for it. ~John Locke

People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God. ~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Thursday, November 9, 2006

1. My left foot is one and a half shoe sizes larger than my right foot.2. I am legally blind in my right eye3. I still drive a white mercury sable (fondly named The Lady of The Lake) regardless of said eye.4. I hate sitting down in long periods of time, so when I write stories and feel particularly energetic, I run a lap around my house.5. I was named after two great grandmothers on the two different sides of my family who both were called the same thing but really had the name Mary

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

"I write fiction for lots of reasons. One is power. I'm in charge when I write. So are you. You create the world of the story. You make the rules.I write to tell myself a story or to tell it to the child reader I once was, because I know what she would have liked. I write to change an old story and tell it the way I think it should be told. Most of all, I write to find out about myself."-Gail Carson Levine Writing Magic

Writing Magic was beyond all my expectations.I knew that it would be good-since it was written by one of the best authors this world has ever known-Gail Carson Levine.But I never expected it to be this good. By the first writing excercise-I had a pretty good idea of just how much this book would help me. I had completely run out of ideas and when I saw the excercise-a brand new one came to mind-it was glorious. I recommend that everyone read this book. Everyone-because it will help you write anything-even those darned political essays you are assigned to do in English (well, okay, it's more like what I'm assigned to do, but whatever...).I love how she writes elegantly, not only in her fiction, but in Writing Magic too. Her first book, the wonderful Ella Enchanted inspired me to read more. And it looks like she's inspired me to write more too!I recommend this book to children and adults. And everyone in between.You can read a bit on what Writing Magic has helped me write on my other blog.-Sookie

Monday, November 6, 2006

Ember is a very exciting book about a city built underground that is undergoing hard times because of their shortages of food and light. This is a great book for someone of any age.

The Red Tent By Anita Diamont

The Red Tent is an Adult book written about the teenage Dinah of the Bible. I love this story because of how real the characters feel. Perhaps ages 13 and up.

The Constant Princess By Philippa Gregory

The Constant Princess was delightful and interesting. More about it can be found on my review. Around 15 and up.

The Naming By Alison Craggon

Alisom Craggon spins a beautiful story about Maerad and her friends and their adventures. LOTR fans will appreciate this one. Any age.

A Tale of Two Cities By Charles Dickens

I LOVE this book. It has everything one could ever need from a book in it-Historical Truth, Biblical Truth, characters that you care about (or hate passionately), adventure, Paris, London, and many other things. The only downside is that it's a bit difficult to read. I suggest that you still read it though-even if you have to read the spark notes along side, because it's definitely worth it. Especially the last five pages. And the last sentence. Ages 13 or 14 and up.

Sunday, November 5, 2006

I truly hope every girl or woman feels beautiful. And I wish I did more. That's why this batch of quotes is about beauty....

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry itwith us or we find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in,where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir

Our hearts are drunk with a beauty our eyes could never see. ~GeorgeW. Russell

I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. ~AuthorUnknown

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ~KahlilGibran

Against Him those women sin who torment their skin with potions, staintheir cheeks with rouge and extend the line of their eyes with blackcoloring. Doubtless they are dissatisfied with God's plastic skill. In their own persons they convict and censure the Artificer of all things. ~Tertullian

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which isgood is always beautiful. ~Ninon de L'Enclos

Beauty comes in all sizes, not just size 5. ~Roseanne

I don't like standard beauty - there is no beauty withoutstrangeness. ~Karl Lagerfeld

Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye. ~GreyLivingston

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius

Beauty... is the shadow of God on the universe. ~Gabriela Mistral, Desolacíon

Beauty?... To me it is a word without sense because I do not know where itsmeaning comes from nor where it leads to. ~Pablo Picasso

Saturday, November 4, 2006

If anyone is interested (or just bored to death) come check out my other blog, where I've just posted the beginnings of a story that was a product of the very first excercise in Writing Magic (by Gail Carson Levine). I also have bits of another story on there (one which I'd rather not admit to writing, but have to). So feel free to check it out!

Thursday, November 2, 2006

I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of England.-Philippa Gregory The Constant Princess

Many books are published on the famous Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry IIIX, mother of Queen Elizabeth I.But not many are written (in historical fiction format) about the first wife of King Henry, Katherine of Aragon, whose daughter Mary (or bloody Mary) would also be queen of England.Katherine, or Catalina, learns from her mother, Queen Isabella of Spain, that she must always be a princess-that she must always be strong and do God's will.A devout Catholic, Catalina intends to do just that when she marries Prince Arthur of Wales, a marriage that had been planned for her since birth. But she is shocked when Prince Arthur, a boy she has grown to love in a very short time, dies tragically, leaving her in a foreign country, alone, and impoverished. And Queen Isabella has told her that she must stay in England, she cannot come home. She must find a way to become queen of England. But that can only be achieved by a lie, something that Catalina knows is wrong.I really loved this book for several reasons: first, because it's a great love story between Catalina and Arthur, and second because Catalina seems just so real, and thrid because it has to do with the Tudor family (which is of a lot of interest to me).Philippa Gregory is a very good author and it was interesting to me to see how she percieved, as an adult, being a teenager in the fourteen hundreds.And having Queen Isabella of Spain as your mother (just imagine!).The only things about it that irked me were some inapropriate passages (Philippa takes the cake for these). But they are very easily skipped.Also, at the end there seems to be a lot of confusion about Christianity, Judaism, and Muslims.Though the author makes it clear that by this she was trying to interject her views on the support of world peace. I'd recommend this book to any mature person who enjoys historical fiction.

About Me

My favorite thing in the world is to read a book. I also enjoy writing, graphic design, and all media and forms of art. I'm also addicted to starbucks coffee (well, who isn't) and have my heart set on traveling the world.